Andrew Wood: A Legend in His Own Mind!

Andrew Wood built Martial Arts America from a single school in San Marcos, California to a national chain of 150 in seven years, then left the industry after 2000 and became the leading marketer in the golf business. In this interview he explains why he walked away, what happened to the owners he trained, and why he came back. His verdict on the industry today is that school owners are leaving the internet and social media almost untouched.

Key Takeaways

• Andrew Wood wrote How to Make $100,000 or More Teaching Martial Arts and started the first successful martial arts business magazine.
• At its peak Martial Arts America had 150 locations, with another 275 schools using his sales and marketing material through the Masters Club.
• His goal was 500 schools. Owners he taught to run a school like a business broke away and started their own organizations, which took its toll.
• He says 2000 was officially his last year in the martial arts business.
• He founded Legendary Marketing and was the world leader in golf marketing by year three, building websites for over 1,500 golf clubs and resorts in ten countries.
• He says very few school owners use social media to boost their school or aid retention, and that ads he wrote 15 years earlier are still being passed around.

Martial Arts Business Masters Reconnect

Recently I sat down with my old friend Andrew Wood, who made a surprise guest appearance at this year’s NAPMA convention. Andrew was a true pioneer in the martial arts business, writing the book that changed the life of many instructors: How to Make $100,000 or More Teaching Martial Arts. He started the first successful martial arts business magazine and built Martial Arts America from a single school in San Marcos, California, to a national chain of 150 in just seven years.

In the last 10 years, he has gone from being the world’s leading expert on the martial arts business to become the world’s leading expert in golf marketing. So, I thought it would be a great idea to check in with him and see what happened along the way. By the way, the headline we have used was Andrew’s idea!

Why He Left the Martial Arts Business

Stephen Oliver: The obvious question is, where have you been, and why did you get out of the martial arts business?

Andrew Wood: Steve, I had a great run in the martial arts business. At its peak, Martial Arts America had 150 locations and I had another 275 schools using my sales and marketing material via the Masters Club. My goal was to get 500 schools, but due to a number of factors it became clear that I could never reach that goal. Once I taught school owners how to run a school like a business and make money doing what they loved, many of them broke away and stared their own organizations, which eventually took its toll on my organization. I just lost interest. That’s not to say I did not have a loyal core of schools; I just realized I could never make the bigger dream happen.

Stephen Oliver: Did the owners who left make it on their own?

Andrew Wood: It depends what you mean by “make it.” They didn’t need my help to stay in business, but most failed to build anything significant beyond a school or two.

Two Years Off and More Than Twenty Books

Stephen Oliver: What did you do after you left the business back in ’98 or ’99?

Andrew Wood: I think 2000 was officially my last year, but I actually took a couple of years off, played a lot of golf, and wrote five books.

Stephen Oliver: You love to write, don’t you?

Andrew Wood: I really do, Steve. I have lost count of how many books I have written, but it’s over 20. This year I wrote Cunningly Clever Selling and Cunningly Clever Entrepreneur and have already started another.

Stephen Oliver: I really enjoyed your Cunningly Clever Marketing book. We think alike in many ways.

Andrew Wood: No doubt, I think we were both ahead of our time in marketing the martial arts business, that’s for sure!

Starting Legendary Marketing in the Golf Industry

Stephen Oliver: So what’s next?

“ I am always looking for new ways to get the word out. Believe it or not, it’s all because of Facebook. Once I started being serious about making connections… a lot of my old martial arts friends came out of the woodwork.”

Andrew Wood: As the money I had saved began to dwindle, I thought hard about what to do next and what my real talents were. I decided to start a golf marketing company called Legendary Marketing. It was the perfect business for me as it combined my lifelong love of golf with my true skill, sales and marketing! Stephen Oliver: Was that an instant success?

Andrew Wood: No, it took a couple of years, but by year three I was the world’s leader in the field. I made millions in the martial arts business by looking at what worked outside the martial arts industry and then bringing it back in. Then when I went into the golf business I did the exact same thing there. I brought the successful ideas I had used in the martial arts world back to the golf world. I have built websites for over 1,500 golf clubs and resorts, in ten countries and have a staff of 18. But here’s the best part, I get to travel the world, stay in the best hotels and play golf for free!

Why He Came Back to the Martial Arts World

Stephen Oliver: Sounds delightful. So why come back into the martial arts world?

Andrew Wood: I have a second company which publishes my books and audio programs. So, I am always looking for new ways to get the word out. Believe it or not, it’s all because of Facebook. Once I started being serious about making connections a few months ago, a lot of my old martial arts friends came out of the woodwork and reconnected with me. They naturally asked what I was doing and some even suggested that I do a seminar on all the things I had learned.

Stephen Oliver: That’s why you are doing the martial arts marketing boot camp at your ranch?

Andrew Wood: Exactly, and to support the event I launched a blog (cunninglyclever.com) and started a newsletter. I am offering a free special report to remind people in the industry who I am! Steve, like you, I have always been a sponge for information, for trying to do things better, smarter faster, stronger.

I think my greatest asset is that I am on the outside looking in. I have enjoyed tremendous success, especially on the Internet, and see a lot of opportunity there for school owners that they are simply NOT capitalizing. I see very few owners using social media to boost their school or aid in retention. I see the same ads being passed around by many that I wrote 15 years ago. There are literally 100 different ideas I have that could easily be adapted.

The Ferrari That Got Him Into the Martial Arts

Stephen Oliver: What’s with you and the Ferraris? It seems like they are in every picture you take? Andrew Wood: I fell in love with Ferraris at the 1973 London Motor Show as a 10-year-old! Other than golf and marketing it’s my main passion. Tom Callos wrote me the other day and said how cheesy it was that I use Ferraris in many of my pictures. Then I told him that it was actually a Ferrari that got me into the martial arts business in the first place!

I was working as a bag boy at a golf course in Florida in 1981 when a guy drives up in a Silver 308 Ferrari.

I complimented him on the car.

“Yea, thanks kid,” he says in a Boston accent. “Hey kid, you play golf?”

“Yes,” I said.

“You any good?” he asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

“Then maybe you can teach me because I suck!” I traded him golf lessons for karate lessons!

Stephen Oliver: So who was this mystery instructor?

Andrew Wood: It was Fred Villari. He took a lot of stick for a lot of reasons, many valid, but he himself was the real deal. In his prime, he was a good as anyone who ever lived! Stephen Oliver: And what about you? How good a martial artist were you?

A Legend in His Own Mind

Andrew Wood: Steve, I was a 2nd-Degree Black Belt. Once there, I really threw myself into the business rather than training. Plus, I had so many other interests; golf, skiing, tennis, racing my cars. There was never enough time to go further. But, for what it’s worth, I can still get out of bed at 7 a.m. and kick the door jamb! Stephen Oliver: Now why did you ask for that semi-derogatory title to this interview?

Andrew Wood: Actually Steve, it’s a bit of a side joke. My main company is called Legendary Marketing and my title is Marketing Legend. When people ask me, “How are you?” instead of saying “good” or “great,” I always say “legendary.” They either go, “Wow, I never heard that before!” Or, if they are a smartass, they may say, “In your own mind.” My come back is always, “Well, you’ve got to start somewhere!”

Stephen Oliver: Indeed!

Want More?

Read full information on Andrew’s martial arts marketing boot camp here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Andrew Wood in the martial arts business?

He wrote How to Make $100,000 or More Teaching Martial Arts, started the first successful martial arts business magazine, and built Martial Arts America from a single school in San Marcos, California to a national chain of 150 in seven years.

Why did Martial Arts America stop growing?

Andrew’s goal was 500 schools. Once he taught owners how to run a school like a business, many of them broke away and started their own organizations, which took its toll on his organization and he lost interest.

Did the school owners who left his organization succeed on their own?

In his words, it depends what you mean by making it. They did not need his help to stay in business, but most failed to build anything significant beyond a school or two.

What does Andrew Wood say martial arts school owners are missing?

The internet. He says he sees a lot of opportunity there that school owners are simply not capitalizing on, very few owners using social media to boost their school or aid retention, and the same ads he wrote 15 years earlier still being passed around.

How did Andrew Wood get into the martial arts?

He was a bag boy at a Florida golf course in 1981 when Fred Villari drove up in a silver 308 Ferrari and asked if he played golf. He traded golf lessons for karate lessons.